Bejaria racemosa Vent.
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Authority
Luteyn, James L., et al. 1995. Ericaceae, Part II. The Superior-Ovaried Genera (Monotropoideae, Pyroloideae, Rhododendroideae, and Vaccinioideae P.P.). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 66: 560. (Published by NYBG Press)
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Family
Ericaceae
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Scientific Name
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Type
Type. Cultivated at Cels, France, from seed collected by A. Michaux in western Florida, United States, Ventenat s.n. (lectotype, G (Ventenat herb.), here designated, photo NY neg. 11686).
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Synonyms
Bejaria paniculata Cels ex Dum.Cours., Bejaria floridana Gand.
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Description
Species Description - Shrub to 3 m tall; bark fibrous, often hispid, red-brown to gray-brown, usually glaucous; twigs subterete, hispid (glabrous or tomentose), red-brown or gray-brown, (glaucous). Leaves chartaceous, flat, elliptic or obovate, less commonly ovate to narrowly ovate, 1.8-5.2 × 0.6-2.5 cm, base cuneate or rarely rounded, apex acute, obtuse or rounded, (minutely mucronate), margin entire, slightly revolute, both surfaces glabrous or reddish-tomentose when young; petiole slightly flattened in cross-section, 1.2-1.4 mm long, glabrous (hispid or tomentose). Inflorescence a terminal raceme (panicle), appearing stalked because of the marked reduction in leaf size below the raceme, 3-23-flowered, rachis 2-16 cm long and 0.5-1.7 mm diam., tomentose and hispid, (glaucous); pedicel 4.5-15 mm long and 0.5-1 mm diam., usually tomentose (glabrous); bracteoles inserted on the apical 1/3 of the pedicel, often immediately below the calyx, flat, narrowly ovate, narrowly obovate, or oblong, 1.8-3.8 × 0.4-1.1 mm, base truncate to attenuate (rounded), apex acuminate to acute, margin usually entire (ciliolate or rarely erose-ciliolate), often slightly concave, both surfaces glabrous or slightly tomentose; floral bracts flat or slightly concave, elliptic, narrowly ovate to ovate, rarely narrowly obovate, 3.4-17 × 0.5-6.7 mm, base cuneate to attenuate (truncate), apex acute to acuminate, margin entire, both surfaces usually reddish-tomentose. Flowers 7-merous; calyx 3.2-5.2 mm long, tube 1.2-2.4 mm long, 1.9-4.9 mm diam., (tomentose), green or tan, lobes ovate to widely depressed ovate, (widely obovate), 1.5-2.9 × 1.5-2.9 mm, the longest lobes 1.9-2.9 mm long, apex acute, obtuse, or rounded, margin erose (entire), usually ciliolate, abaxial surface often tomentose; corolla spreading to reflexed, white, pink, or white suffused with pink, petals spatulate, 18-33 × 3.5-8 mm, margin entire or undulate, distally tomentose otherwise glabrous; stamens included, 15-26 mm long, filaments tomentose, anthers 1.3-2.4 mm long, 0.9-1.1 mm broad; ovary glabrous, style included, 13-23 mm long, stigma 7-lobed. Capsules depressed obovoid, 4-6.6 mm long, 6.3-11 mm diam., brown to black, exocarp separating from valve; seeds 1.3-1.8 mm long and 0.3-0.4 mm diam.
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Discussion
The flowers are sometimes used for fly-paper in Florida.
Bejaria racemosa is a distinctive species with no close relatives; it is the only member of sect. Racemosae. The characteristic "stalked" inflorescence and the chartaceous leaves without abaxially raised midveins separate it from other Bejaria species. -
Common Names
Tar- flower, fly weed
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Objects
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Distribution
United States of America North America| Georgia United States of America North America| Alabama United States of America North America| Florida United States of America North America|